Panama City Reporter

Recent studies have found that chronic sinusitis can contribute to various conditions that can decrease quality of life, including sleep deprivation, impaired cognitive function and depression.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 28.9 million Americans -- or 11.6% of the adult population -- suffer from the effects of chronic sinusitis. This condition was responsible for 4.1 million doctor visits and more than 230,000 emergency room visits in 2018.

A Korean study indicated that people with chronic sinusitis are 41% more likely to suffer from depression and 45% more likely to develop anxiety, according to Physician's Weekly.

"Nasal obstruction, chronic sinusitis or chronic allergies really affect one's quality of life," Dr. Matthew Blair of Gulf Coast Breathe Free Sinus & Allergy Centers told the Panama City Reporter. "If you have a poor outlook on life because you're always suffering from allergies or sinus (infections), it's going to affect the rest of your general health. So if you can get your breathing, you can get your nose in tiptop shape, you're going to feel better and you want to do more things, and you're going to overall improve your quality of health."

Another study in Expert Review of Anti-Infective Therapy found that approximately 60 to 75% of people with chronic sinusitis also suffer from poor quality of sleep.

An early intervention for sinus patients not only increases their immediate quality of life but also improves long-term relief and reduces health care costs, according to a different study published in Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery. One of the most common treatments for chronic sinusitis is balloon sinuplasty, which is a minimally invasive, in-office procedure that is performed at Gulf Coast Breathe Free Sinus & Allergy Centers, and the results have been proven very effective for chronic sinus sufferers.